Taliban press ahead with aid workers' trial

KABUL, Afghanistan -- The Supreme Court in Afghanistan has begun a second day of deliberations in the trial of a group of aid workers accused of trying to convert Muslims to Christianity.

Eight Western charity workers and their 16 Afghan colleagues from the German-based charity Shelter Now International are facing charges of proselytizing.

None of the accused has yet been brought to court.

The ruling Taliban say the alleged crime has offended Muslims, not only in Afghanistan but worldwide.

Three Western diplomats seeking to gain access to the trial proceedings and meetings with the international aid workers have been blocked from doing so by the Taliban authorities.

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There has also been no indication yet whether family, friends, reporters or any other observers might be allowed to monitor the trial.

The diplomats from Australia, the U.S. and Germany say they have been virtually stonewalled by the Taliban authorities for the past week with no official word on the progress of the trial or the legal process they face.

They have been pressing for a meeting with the Taliban Chief Justice, Noor Mohammad Saqib, to discuss the case.

Legal aid

On Wednesday he was quoted by the Islamabad-based Afghan Islamic Press as saying the accused aid workers would be allowed to hire non-Muslim lawyers from outside Afghanistan for their defense if they wished to do so.

He added that the case would be dealt with on a fair basis but he did not know how long it would last.

"They have the complete right to defend themselves in court. If they want to use a lawyer we have no objection," AIP quoted Saqib as saying.

"They can even bring in foreign, non-Muslim lawyers to defend themselves."

The 24 aid workers were arrested last month on charges that could carry the death penalty.

It is however unclear whether Taliban prosecutors intend to press for that particular punishment in this case.

A decree issued by the Taliban's supreme leader early this year set the death penalty for Afghan Muslims converting to another religion. But the punishment for foreigners found preaching Christianity is unclear.

Punishment 'will fit crime'

The Taliban have previously said the group's supreme leader, Mullah Mohammad Omar, would have the final say on the fate of the aid workers no matter what the court decided.

Quoted by AIP, Chief Justice Saqib said the punishment would accord with any crime they are eventually convicted of.

"The detained Shelter Now people will be sentenced according to Islamic Sharia law," he said.

"If the crime is worthy of imprisonment they will be imprisoned, if the crime is worthy of hanging, they will be hanged."

The Taliban say they have strong evidence that the Shelter Now staff were involved in trying to convert Afghan Muslims to Christianity but had no proof any conversions were actually made.

Agency officials in Germany say their staff are told not to proselytize, an act considered illegal under the strict Islamic law enforced by the Taliban.

In recent days, the Taliban have evicted the foreign staff of two other Christian humanitarian groups -- International Assistance Mission and Serve -- saying they were connected with Shelter Now.